Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-07-28
SCIENTIFIC BREVITIES.

4
Mr.. Colman, United States Commits
sloner OF Agriculture, speaks hopefully
OF the new method of obtaining sugar
from sugar-cane by diffusion On re-
turning from recent trip TO Louis
lana TO investigate the operation he is
convinced that the process will prove
successful. Cane which under ordi-
nary circumstances and methods will
yield eighty pounds of sugar to the
ton yields 40 pounds under this pro-
cess.
The demand for cheap aluminium
has stimulated researches in every pos
sIble direction. Mr.. James MacClear
IN a paper before the Society of Chem
zeal industry describes a new method
Tor manufacturing sodium and potas-
SUM cheaply. AS now made accord
ing to the Deville method aluminium
depends upon sodium. With caustic
SODA ut 500 ton the metallic sodium
costs about % cents pound, ALLOWING
II cents for fuel and materials. With
sodium at this price aluminium can
probably be put on the market at 81
pound, or about one-fourth of its
present value.
DR.. Davenport, the ANALYST of the
Massachusetts State Board of Health
makes some returns that will be of in
terest to all. Out of twenty advertised
cures for the opium habit, all but one
contained opium. A marvellous cure
-''double chloride of gold, contained
no gold! A large number of temper
ance drinks" were also examined. All
contained alcohol, and one as high as
AIS per cent. The majority contained
over 20 per cent. A preparation an
alyzing 41.6 per cent was claimed bv
It's manufacturer ''to be purely vege-
table extract"
Silk making is becoming an estab-
lished industry and one of growing i'm
pOrtance in the United States. Ma
chlnery for winding silk from the Co
coon has recently been set up at Wash
ington. Great demands for silkworm
eggs are being made, and the bulletin
of the Department of Agriculture des-
cribing the silkworm culture has al
ready run through eight editions. Ac-
cording to the reports all demands in
this line have never been SO great as
at present, and it is expected that con-
siderable quantities ofAmerican-grown
silk will before long find its way upon
the market.
A new method of bleaching by means
of electrolysis is reported from En-
land. Cotton or other goods are sat
urated with a solution of magnesium
and then subjected to a pow
erful electric current. By this means
the magnesium chloride is decomposed
and the chlorine is set free, which i'm
acts after the usual manner.
1t is claimed that the work expended
by 57O-horse power engine upon a
dynamo machine will produce the
equivalent of 200 pounds of bleach
ing powder per hour, or fifty-horse
power engine would give one ton per
day. If these claims can be substan-
tiated the results will be of the utmost
V. q. Eaton, writing to the Popular
Science MOnthly, gives some interest
ng data on badness among men of
lifferent cities in the United States.
lie concludes that more than 80 per
cent OF men above 80 years of age show
evidences of approach
ng badness, while 20 per cent have
heads polished with that gloss supposed
20 be the prerogative Of advanced
years alone. His data are based on
observation in churches and theaters Of
Washington, New York, Boston, Phila-
lelphia, Chicago, ST. Louis and other
cities. Bald heads are most common
II Boston and New York, then in Phil
ldelphia, and after that the Western
cities. Thus an actual count in Bos-
on showed: Trinity church, among 243
men, 81 actually bald, 46 indications
If badness; Kings Chapel, among Sc
men; So actually bald, IL indications;
Hollis Street Theater, among 63 men,
z actually bald, 10 indications; Bos-
on Theater, among 1875 men, 81 ac-
hRlly bald, 43 indications.